What Money Can't Buy Ch. 06

I start moving more quickly and Francesca joins me, matching my rhythm. She brings a hand to her pussy and rubs herself. "Good god Francesca, you have such a perfect little ass," I pant, and she moans in response. "I want to fuck this ass every day. When you're not around, I can't stop thinking about being inside of you. Inside your pussy, your ass, your mouth. I want to take you all. My favorite place is inside of you," I ramble as my balls start churning. "Fuck, Francesca! I'm going to cum!" I cry and I feel her start to pulse around me, her own orgasm approaching. I rear up and roughly slap her ass and she yelps, and then cums again, just as my cock starts dumping hot jizz deep into her ass. "FUUCK!" I cry as spurt after spurt empties into her.

We're both breathless and shaky. I can't believe how good this is. Every time.

"I swear it still gets better every time," she says as she turns back to me, her words mimicking my thoughts.

I pull her against me and kiss her again. "You are a vixen," I say breathlessly, "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," she replies softly, and we kiss under the shower's rain.

I'm watching Francesca finish dinner as I set up a queue of songs. Rose and Cheryl are due to arrive in 20 minutes. I really missed her so much yesterday. I look at her shaking her hips as she dances and stirs, and my heart is filled with joy. This is where she is meant to be. Before I know it, I'm up and she is in my arms, surprised but smiling. "What?" she poses, her gorgeous green eyes twinkling up at me.

"I don't want you to leave," I tell her, studying her face for a response.

"Well good, because I was planning on staying for the night," she says in a confused tone and turns back to the stove to stir.

I hold her tightly, stopping her. "That's not what I mean," I divulge, staring at her intensely. I reach out and turn off the burner and take the spoon from her hand and set it down.

She furrows her brow, "What do you mean?" she quietly asks me, looking perplexed and nervous.

"I want you here as much as I can get you. I don't want to spend our nights apart," I start, fumbling over my words.

"Reggie..." she interrupts, her eyes now searching mine.

"Move in with me. Please," I profess longingly. She swallows, looking up at me but not saying anything. My heart is aching, and I am itching for her response. She's taking too long. "Don't you like being here?" I plead, then run my nose along her neck, something I've learned comforts me. She smells like a gorgeous June day.

"Of course I do Reggie, but, it's so far from work..."

I raise my nose from her neck. "You can take my car, or I'll buy you your own. Or you can quit that awful place and only work at Bocaditos. Francesca, you hate Lazaro's- and I hate that it makes you unhappy," I urge her.

She shakes her head. "What about the flat, and Rose?" she asks, her eyes searching mine again.

"Rose is getting married- I'm sure she and Cheryl will want to live together. They could stay there. Together, they can afford it. And you can save more if you aren't paying rent. I will get to see you more, and curl up with you every night..." I answer before kissing her neck.

"I'm not sure..." she says slowly and my heart sinks.

"Why not?" I whisper against her skin. "You love me, I love you. I want to be around you always. I love having you here," I'm begging her now. "Please, say yes."

She is silent for a moment, and my world feels like its crashing around me. She doesn't want to, you idiot. It's too soon.

"Okay," she utters, and suddenly the storm clouds part, and I'm smiling and squeezing her, "We can try it out," she says cautiously, but a smile spreads across her lips. I kiss her again and then spin her around and we're laughing while Etta James sings over the speakers.

"You've made me so happy," I beam at her. "I thought for sure you'd say no, or we would fight about it, at least."

"I'm trying to be spontaneous," she shoots back, then sticks her tongue out at me. I laugh and am about to respond when the buzzer goes off. "We'll discuss this later," she says. I reluctantly release Francesca and head to the door to buzz Rose and Cheryl in. She returns to the stove to finish the dinner I interrupted.

We congratulate Rose and Cheryl again as they enter the apartment. I poke fun at them for being so drunk the last time we saw them. "What can I say, we were drunk on love," Rose suggests cheekily, and we all bust out laughing at that ridiculous statement. "I know, I know, we were sloppy! What can I say? We had something huge to celebrate," she says, blushing slightly. I don't think I've ever seen Rose blush before.

"Of course you did, Rose, Reggie is just teasing you," Francesca comes to her rescue, pulling her in for a hug.

"We have something to celebrate, too," I announce, and all three ladies look my way. I note the concern etched on Francesca's face. Maybe she didn't want to tell them? That's ridiculous. I brush it off- at least I know Rose will be on my side here.

"Well?" Cheryl says, her eyes darting to Francesca's ring finger.

Not all of us are so rash. "Francesca just agreed to move in with me!" I say excitedly and pull my meek little Killer into my arms.

"How exciting!" Cheryl claps, "I am so happy for you two!"

"Wait, you're saying Francesca agreed? You must be one hell of a shag, Reggie," Rose interjects, her face moving from shock to sass.

"Well, I said I'd try," Francesca corrects me quietly, and Rose smacks her arm.

"Get over yourself, Fran!" Rose scolds her. "You love him, you're happy. Let yourself have this. Stop being a little freak and live your life!"

Francesca blushes deeply but hugs me tightly. "You're right," she acquiesces. I'm baffled- she just backed down, no argument. Rose is like a secret weapon.

"Next time she acts like this, just call me," Rose tells me before rolling her eyes and turning to the fridge to look for a drink.

"I'll definitely take you up on that," I murmur, gazing down at Francesca, who is looking at her feet guiltily. This woman will be the end of me.

Dinner is as expected, full of laughs and love. When we finish, Cheryl announces it is time to do some wedding planning. I offer to clear the plates and the girls head into the living room, chatting away. I'm not paying attention as I clear the plates, but then I hear Francesca speak, which doesn't happen too often when both Rose and Cheryl are in the room. It grabs my attention. "Six months? Don't you think that's a little soon?"

"Franny, we aren't worried about that, we love each other. We'd do it sooner if we could," Cheryl says. I look over and Francesca looks hesitantly at the two of them.

"Fran, get on board. Now," Rose says harshly. Francesca cringes.

I'm about to jump in and stand up for her when Cheryl does it for me, "Rose, back off. Francesca gave me her blessing, helped me set up the proposal and pick out the ring. She's on board- give her a break."

"You're right. I'm sorry Franny. I want to be with Cheryl, and I want it now. If anything, six months is too long, but we need to save," Rose says petulantly.

"I know that, love. It's just a big commitment. I only want to look out for you," she tells her gently. I load the dishes into the washer and keep listening from the kitchen.

"Fran, I'm not you- I don't want to wait around for my careful plan to fall into place and miss my life along the way," Rose says angrily.

"I'm living my life!" Francesca replies, the hurt clear in her voice.

"I'm going to help Reggie," Cheryl interjects, then heads my way.

Rose quiets slightly, but I can still hear her. "Come on, Fran. I see how you are with Reggie. Your love is one in a million, and instead of embracing it, you run from it. You're scared he'll hurt you, but there is no point in expecting the worst- you miss what's right in front of you! He loves you so much. But you don't let him the way he wants to. You're missing out," Rose says passionately. "What does he have to do to show you he won't bail like everyone else?"

I've been asking her that for months. Fat chance she'll actually answer. "We're fine, Rose. I've even agreed to move in," Francesca tries to sound cold, but I can hear the pain in her response.

"He's not going to keep putting up with you pushing him away. If you aren't careful, you'll predict the future and actually lose him." Rose does sounds cold.

Fran doesn't respond right away.

"Hey," Cheryl interrupts my snooping and I don't hear what happens next. Damn.

"Hey yourself," I reply sourly. Cheryl sticks out her tongue and I can't help but smile.

"It's crazy how different they are, huh?" she says to me, her eyes on the sisters in the living room.

"I hope you aren't insulting Francesca," I bristle. I will go to bat for my girl if you want, Cheryl.

"No, Reg, calm down, just an observation," she chuckles, seeing my hackles coming up. "I love that girl. She clearly took amazing care of the person I love the most. Francesca raised Rose to become the incredible, brave woman she is now. But Francesca didn't have anyone to take care of her. I think Rose can't see that sometimes- she pushes her too hard. She doesn't understand why it's so hard for Francesca to trust people," she explains with a sigh.

I relax and pull Cheryl in for a hug. She always knows the right thing to say- I needed a reminder. "You're going to make an amazing wife, and you're the best person to take over for Francesca with Rose. I'm so happy for you, Cheryl," I say, a lump forming in my throat.
"And I you. Fran is good for you. She slows you down, and you speed her up. You two will sort it all out together," she replies in my ear, and I smile just as I see Francesca fake smile to Rose. The tension between them is palpable.

"Thank you darling. I think I'd better get over there," I kiss Cheryl's cheek and swiftly wander to the couch where Francesca still looks very upset.

Rose stops talking when I arrive, and I give her a cross look as I sit next to Francesca and put my arm around her. I grab her chin and lift it so I can plant a kiss on her lips. "You're perfect- thank you for the fantastic dinner," I say, and a small smile spreads on her lips. So beautiful.

"You're welcome," she mutters and burrows into my chest.

"So, wedding talk- are you two thinking big or small?" I ask Rose, taking the heat off of my girl.

"Well, Fran and I don't have a big family, but I have a lot of friends I would love to be there..." Rose starts.

"And I have a huge family. But it doesn't matter, because we're dirt poor, especially since I bought that ring," Cheryl continues.

"So, realistically, it'll be small. Something we can afford on some scraped together savings in the next six months," Rose finishes.

"I'm sure we can pull together something nice..." Francesca starts, but I cut her off.

"You two should have the wedding of your dreams! Let me pay for it." I smile widely at Rose and Cheryl, who are gaping at me, and then turn to look down at Francesca. She looks pissed. What did I do now?

"You're kidding, Reg. We couldn't possibly accept that!" Cheryl says, flabbergasted, and I shake my head. Rose's mouth is still hanging open.

"Don't be proud, Cheryl. I have all this money burning a hole in my pocket. I would love to use it to make you both happy on such an important day," I say genuinely.

A smile spreads across Rose's face in a way that reminds me of her sister, though usually it takes a lot more cajoling with the older of the two. "Reggie, that is so generous..." Rose starts, but she looks at Francesca and abruptly stops talking.

I look down at her and catch the death glare that I was on the receiving end of moments ago. "What's the issue, ladies? I want to help. Please, it's the least I can do, considering the Hagadones truly owe your family, Rose." The death glare turns to me again. Fuck. I swallowed, meeting Francesca's eye. "What?" I ask her nervously.

She's about to answer but is interrupted. "If you're sure, that would be brilliant!" Rose seems to have overcome her fear of Francesca.

"Rose!" Cheryl says, her mouth hanging open.

I smile at her, "Of course I'm sure! And, Cheryl, please, I'm not taking no for an answer. I really want to do this for you both." Honestly, I do. The money would be insignificant to me, and it would make them happy. Though I was hoping Francesca would have been happy, too, but I guess not. She pulled out from under my arm and I gaze at her, hurt. I look over at Cheryl again. Rose is holding her hands and speaking quietly, a huge smile on her face. Cheryl blushes- wait, Cheryl blushing?

Rose must be incredibly convincing, because Cheryl sighed and turned to me. "Reggie, are you sure? That's a bloody huge favor..."

"Cheryl, nothing would make me happier," I plead with her.

Rose jumps in, "Well, in that case, I guess I should say thank you! Reggie, honestly, you have no idea what this means to us. Oh my god, we have so much to do!" She got up and pulled me off the couch and into a big hug.

Cheryl stands begrudgingly and hugs me, too. "Francesca looks like she is going to kill you," she whispers in my ear, but she's smiling when she pulls away. "You're literally insane, but thank you."

"Cheryl, now we can get married in March, like we wanted!" Rose squeals from the behind her.

"March?" Francesca chokes out the word.

"Yes! We wanted to get married on Mom and Dad's anniversary. It falls on a Saturday this year, and it's perfect! It'll be like she's there with me," Rose is tearing up. I notice Francesca's cold exterior soften a bit.

"That would be lovely," she said, pulling Rose into a hug, "but that's not a lot of time to plan a wedding, you know?"

"That's why I need you available! We have to go dress shopping this weekend. You are going to have your hands full with maid of honor duties!" Rose tells her. Francesca's face goes white as a sheet.

"As will you, best man!" Cheryl says, pulling my focus from Francesca.

"Really? Oh Cheryl, I would be honored!" I say, hugging her again. "Can I join you ladies for dress shopping, then?" All three of them gape at me again. "What? I assume it's part of my duties as best man?"

"Sure, I guess so! We have appointments on Saturday at 4pm," Rose tells us.

"Rose, I need more notice. I can't make it- I'm working Saturday night," Francesca says uncomfortably.

Rose scoffs like it's a joke. "Call in sick, Francesca. Please, I need you!" she insists. Francesca makes a sour face but nods. "Now, we have a lot to discuss. We need to find a venue that's available on the 20^th- it has to be their anniversary. I'm going to make a list of places I'm interested in, and we can split them up and call them this week, sound good?" Rose grabs Francesca's hands and pulls her back onto the couch, pulling a binder from her purse and talking quickly.

"Good luck with that," I mouth to Cheryl, and she slaps my arm.

"Bye! Get home safe!" Francesca hugs both ladies again before they finally leave the flat. That was an interesting evening. Francesca turns to me and she is fuming. Shit. "What am I going to do- I don't have time to help Rose plan this wedding in 4 and a half months! She can be so selfish sometimes," She storms to the kitchen and sits at the bar.

Phew, I'm not directly in the line of fire. I follow her and settle on a stool. "I know, it's a lot, and it's fast. I can help," I say gently.

"Yes, but you can't be me for wedding dress shopping and cake tasting and venue browsing, Reggie," she sneers back.

"That's fair," I'm treading lightly here.

"I'm so screwed," she says, panic rising in her voice.

I rub her back. "It'll be alright," I console her.

"This is all your fault!" she snaps and stands, stomping towards the living area.

I sit, shocked. "What do you mean?" I say gently, trying to hold my anger at bay.

"You pushed the money on them, and then they pushed up the date by two months!" she tells me like it's obvious.

"Okay, I'm sorry. But if you're that worried about it, you can just quit Lazaro's! You're moving in here and don't need to pay rent, and you'd have more free time for Rose!" I offer hopefully.

"What the fuck, Reggie? Why do you always have to do that?"

I sigh. Here we go. "Do what, Francesca?"

"Push your money on me and my family!" she yells.

"Good lord Francesca, I wasn't pushing anything on you. I'm just trying to help! I was doing something nice! But you're right, I'm a wanker! Just let me have it." Jesus she can be grating. I get up and run my fingers through my hair.

She looks a little stunned, but quickly shrugs it off. "Reggie, offering to pay for the wedding was completely out of line! You can't just flaunt your money because you feel bad!"

"Feel bad? Francesca, I offered because I want them to be happy and, yes, because I CAN! What is so wrong with that?" I say exasperatedly.

"Please. You feel bad about what happened to the hardware store because of your family and you're trying to make yourself feel better!" she shrieks at me.

"That's low, Francesca. And it's not true! I would have offered to pay for Cheryl's wedding no matter who she married! But the bonus here is that I get to make your sister happy, and I thought you might be happy, too!" I cry back at her.

"Reggie, can't you see the pressure this puts on our relationship?" she bellows, tears welling up in her eyes.

What? I step toward her and pull her into my arms, but she fights me and pulls away again. "What are you talking about, Francesca?" I ask quietly.

"Now Rose and I are indebted to you! What if something happens between us and we break up. Then what? You just pull your miraculous funding and Rose is left heartbroken and on her ass! Because of me!" she's yelling and crying now.

Fuck. I messed up, I pushed her too hard. "Francesca, stop! I would never do something like that! I will write Rose a blank check and then she can cash it, no matter what! Are you happy now?" I'm frustrated and disappointed that she could think so little of me.

"NO!" she screams and tries to run past me, but I grab her arm.

"Then what, Francesca! What can I do to make you happy?" I plead, pulling her into me. She doesn't say anything. "Francesca, I love you. I love your sister. Nothing is going to happen to us- I won't let it. I can't live without you, Francesca. All I want is more time with you. You can bitch and moan all you want, but I'm not going anywhere. You're the one I'm worried that's going to bail," I whisper, opening up and being straightforward with her- I wish she would do the same.

"I love you, too," she says blankly, but she doesn't pull away again.

"Why don't you trust me?" I mutter, looking down, afraid of what she might say. She's quiet again. "Jesus, Francesca, you need to open up. Should I call Rose to come back? You listen to her!" I groan, exasperated again. I let her go and turn, walking further into the apartment. I'm desperately trying to hold back my temper, but I'm losing the battle.

"Because I don't know how to trust you! And why should I?" she says unconfidently.

"WHAT THE FUCK, Francesca?" I yell at her. "What am I supposed to say to that? That I love you, that you love me? I think that should be enough, but clearly you don't! The truth is, you're the only one who can answer that question for yourself!" She is quiet. "I am SO SICK of this fight, Francesca." I mutter.

"Reggie," she sobs. My heart melts a little bit. "I don't know how to... I... I can't accept all of this monetary help. It's too much."

Despite her crying, I'm pissed. "WHY NOT!" I bellow. "All I want is for you to be happy, and to get to spend time with you! You're killing yourself working two jobs, one that you hate and is making you crazy, just to save for a shitty apartment you don't need and your restaurant, which I could help you get RIGHT NOW! TOMORROW!" I'm fuming and I know I need to try and temper it. I take a deep breath. "I'm trying to understand. I'm trying not to push you. But I want us to move forward, and I want to use this filthy, disgusting money that you hate so much to make the people I love, the people who deserve it, happy!" Again, she is silent, just sobbing quietly. "Do you even want to be in this relationship?" I ask desperately, sitting on the couch and putting my head in my hands.